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Ranger Lord Tarkonis Whiteleaf
Lord-Ranger Tarkonis Whiteleaf is a renowned Kaldorei hunter and aspiring ruler of his former homeland, Wintervhain; an island far north of Kalimdor. Most notably, Whiteleaf is the organizer of the Blue Ravens and the original commanding ranger of his land's military. In-game and OOC, "Tarkonis" is the Guild Master of ' Major Biography (Year -9,000 - Year 20) ''(As-per the long life-span of Night Elves, this biography is fairly long-winded. For major events, read '''Path of the Druid, Path of the Hunter, Torathiel's Death '''and '''The Nerubian Swarm - Fall of the Blue Raven.)'' The specific date of Tarkonis Whiteleaf's birth is foggy. Like most Night Elves, he was estimated to have been born between the years -8,000 and -7,300 (the time just after the creation of Nordrassil). This would pin present-day Tarkonis to a man in his young adult years according to the elongated aging rate of the Kaldorei. Path of the Druid Whiteleaf was born into a family historically known for their strong druid offspring. At the time of Tarkonis' birth, the Night Elf world was at peace. Since the end of the War of the Ancients, the path of the druidic arts was becoming more clearly paved by Malfurion and the awoken druids. Tarkonis was immediately thrust into training by his mother, Lanadriel Whiteleaf. At the Kaldorei equivalent of 13 years-aged, Tarkonis learned how to commune with the natural life that surrounded him; the most potent of these connections being with wildlife. Path of the Hunter Tarkonis' father, Torathiel, was a high-ranking ranger and trusted servant of Tyrande Whisperwind. In his time off of the battlefield, he found what he regarded as a "rare beauty in the free, open wilds." He took the path of a hunter; purging his homeland's forests of invasive species and unnatural predators. His disposition toward the druids was one of distrust. He felt that the wilds could only retain balance if the disciples of Malfurion remained an exterior force. More so, he felt that deriving power from nature was selfish and unnatural. That being said, he wished more for his son to become a "balancer" of nature rather than a vessel of it. <''Related>'' The Discovery of Wintervhain (Year -7,100) In the midst of Tarkonis' druidic training, farseers from Mount Hyjal's high council (of which Lanadriel Whiteleaf possessed membership) communed with the powerful natural life essence of a distant island. After seemingly endless meditation, the council uncovered the existence of a small landmass; presently known as Wintervhain. Relatively close to the World Tree, the druid council feared that acquisition of this island by an opposing force would lead to an eventual invasion of northern Kalimdor. Lanadriel, being a strategic woman of action, suggested a moderately-sized group of skilled Kaldorei soldiers and workers dispatch themselves to the island. She desired a holding modest enough to keep the land from being easily taken but minimal enough to preserve the powerful life essence emanating from it. Unable to find a chair-holder more dedicated to the land's acquisition than Lanadriel, the council dubbed her commander of the effort and ruler of the land. Should she successfully claim the island in the High Priestess' name, her bloodline would be forever tethered to the position of lord or lady of the holding. Childhood Acquaintances - The Seed of Betrayal Isolated from the children who had not chosen (or had been forced into) the path of the druid, Tarkonis learned to enjoy his time alone. He would often wander off in his time away from training to observe the rest of society from a distance. He would write poems of what he saw. A translated excerpt from one of his writings is listed below "A tiny leaflet, I prattle in the senseless wind with my brethren Together, we prosper and turn emerald in the brazen sun The same trunk nourishing us The same pests plaguing us Nature forbears its own isolation But leaves are alone. They chide Elune's will Grown on separate stems. Separate trees And so I leave well enough alone I hie the inevitable And anon, we fall." ~ Excerpt from a young Tarkonis Whiteleaf's poetry collection Tarkonis acquainted a boy named Xenadrion; a mage in training who was a bit older than him. The two teen-aged Kaldorei quickly became the best of allies. Xenadrion's mother was a member of the high council, and thus the two Night Elves shared a topic in common. Despite being frowned upon by their parents, their friendship prospered due to their unnatural foil in personalities. While Tarkonis was a sullen speaker of nature, his counterpart was a flurry of optimism and childish wonder. Xenadrion spent countless days with Tarkonis. He filled his mind with tales of the east and of the great wars that threatened to end all life on Azeroth. Out of disdain for the druids, the young mage planted strategic inklings that tainted Tarkonis' view of his training. He constantly reminded him of the social isolation that was being forced upon him. Slowly, Tarkonis began to see his druidic training through the eyes of a lonely young boy. He grew closer to Xenadrion, as well as with many other non-druids (See Feyanor Valdrathil). Beyond Tarkonis' knowledge, Xenadrion's true desire was not Whiteleaf's friendship, but rather with the position of power his family would soon possess. Torathiel's Death A highly significant event in Tarkonis' life was a nature hike he took with his father and mother around the Mount Hyjal. The two parents, separated in creed, argued whilst they walked their son through the forests near Nordrassil. Intended to be a strengthening of family bonds, their time together soon turned sour. Far off of the beaten path, the Kaldorei family trekked for days. They made camp in the middle of the wilderness at his mother's request. On the final day of the trip, upon their return to Nordrassil, Torathiel was fated to become caught in a vicious stray trap. Comprised of numerous Kaldorei blades and intended for a group of animals, the snare cut deeply into the ranger's unarmored body. Miles away from the nearest settlement, Lanadriel was forced to use her druidic abilities in hopes of diminishing her husband's wounds. While she did manage to minimize some of the gashes, Lanadriel was unable to heal the ranger's internal damage. Torathiel gruesomely bled out in front of his wife and son. The failure of his mother to save Torathiel pushed Tarkonis away from becoming a druid. He resented the training that he had received thus far, and discarded the knowledge from of his forethought. The wilds ceased their speaking to him and he lost all connection with the animals he once acquainted with. Seeking to survive his father's legacy, he took up his Torathiel's bow and trained to become a ranger. His years of training are undocumented. Though it is known that Tarkonis intentionally joined the Kaldorei training for Wintervhain's invasion. Journey to Wintervhain Upon the completion of Lanadriel's settlement force, Tarkonis and the men he had trained with were summoned to assist in the construction of the land's infrastructure. Among these men and women was Xenadrion, who applied his unmatched skills in spell-weaving to those of a ranger; thus becoming a spellblade sorcerer. He was named Shan'Do of Tarkonis' so-called "Blue Rangers." After research and observation of the island, it was named "Wintervhain," which means "Resisting Winter." The name arose from the fascination with Wintervhain's climate. Although the land was so far north, it failed to ice over like Northrend. Despite Tarkonis' blatant resentment toward Lanadriel, the two built Wintervhain from the ground up with metaphorical bullets in their teeth, arguing at every decision (See The Lost Island of Wintervhain). Lanadriel granted her son the lower half of the island in hopes of creating a military vantage point that was unconquerable. The druid also did this with intent of pleasing her son's desire to distance himself from her. The city of Ravelle was constructed and Tarkonis was named ranger-commander of its military forces. In the northern half of the island, Lanadriel constructed the city of Torath'Amar, after her late husband. This was to be the headquarters of all political activity on the island. Fall of the Blue Ravens (-6,200 - Present Day) Under the visible surface of Wintervhain's rise to glory, Xenadrion and those whom he managed to taint planned the downfall of the Whiteleaf line. The spellblade and his fellow magus summoned forces from the Nerubian Empire into the wilderness of Wintervhain. Xenadrion informed the Nerubians that Wintervhain was still undeveloped, and would be easily attainable. Desiring an expanded range of land holdings, the creatures agreed to assault the island. Burrowing beneath the Kaldorei holding, the insects went unnoticed until the time of their assault. Without a reasonable fight, the Nerubians swiftly took Torath'Amar; slaying Lanadriel in the process. The small pockets of land that the Kaldorei had under control were lost in quick succession. The Battle of Ravelle, the last breath of the Kaldorei settlers, took place a mere three weeks after the destruction of Torath'Amar. Tarkonis' Blue Ravens held off the Nerubian Empire for multiple days until the insects found a way to breach the city's runed walls. Once inside, the slaughter of Tarkonis' people and his closest allies in battle became a swift reality. The Blue Raven's were brutally dismantled by the savage Nerubians, leaving the city defenseless. Tarkonis made his last stand at the Court of the Pale Tree, located in the center of the city. With only a miniscule pocket of armed civilians, fought off the creatures of darkness until he was but the only man left standing. Xenadrion delivered the killing blow dispatching himself into battle. He defeated Tarkonis at the Court of the Pale Tree and took him into captivity. With the following quote, the spellblade sent Tarkonis back to Kalimdor to live in torment for his failure. (For the rest of Xenadrion's story, see Icelord Xe'Narak). "You were right, Tarkonis. We were grown on separate stems. And anon, the white leaf has fallen." ~ Xenadrion after the Battle of Ravelle =